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By Nelson Espinal
Contributing Sports Reporter
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Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton supported Kimi Antonelli after the teenage prodigy faces intense pressure amid his run of struggles.
Getty Images photographer Kym Illman photographed Hamilton leaving the Mercedes hospitality and wrote on Instagram:
"It's believed he caught up with Kimi Antonelli to give him some support after the Mercedes rookie's tricky qualifying yesterday when Kimi appeared teary-eyed after the session."
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Antonelli qualified 19th for the Belgian Grand Prix. Earlier in the weekend, he once again failed to get out of Q1 for the sprint race.
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His downturn comes after he captured his maiden sprint win and podium during the North American swing at Miami and Canada.
Over the past couple of races in Europe, he has struggled overall. He appeared emotional after qualifying in Belgium as the pressure and circumstances swirl around him.
Antonelli hasn't scored in his last three races, but Hamilton remains impressed and supportive of the young driver.
"I can't imagine what it's like at 18, to do what he's doing," Hamilton said after the Belgian GP.
"I think he's been doing fantastic, but to be thrown in the deep end at 18, he hadn't even had his driving licence when he first started racing!
"I think it's a lot on someone's shoulders and I think he's done a great job.
"And he's got a great group of people around him so I think he's just got to take it in his stride. He has Bono by his side, he couldn't have anyone better."
At only 18 years of age, Antonelli is hailed as the next Max Verstappen, who also broke into the sport in his teenage years.
After winning the F3 title in his first season and impressing during his rookie stint in F2, Mercedes made the bold decision to promote Antonelli straight into a top seat at the team.
Typically, junior drivers are loaned out to lower tier teams with less pressure to deliver, but team boss Toto Wolff believed the Italian could handle the job straight away.
Not only did he step into Mercedes, but he replaced Lewis Hamilton directly in the team, adding even more attention to his performances.
Since Antonelli got the seat, Hamilton has mentored the young driver, giving him advice and supporter the youngster.
Formula 1 heads to Hungary next where Antonelli will hope his scoreless streak ends before the August summer break begins.
For more F1 news, head on over to Newsweek Sports.
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